Best 1911 .45 ACP Pistol for under 1200

Best 1911 .45 ACP Pistol for under 1200

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  • Poll closed .
padawan

padawan

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Hey guys. The thread about the best "non" 1911 .45 ACP pistol was fun. And the Sig P220 came out on top for me.

Now it's time for the Best 1911 .45 ACP pistol. I'm looking for the best value under 1200 (before tax)

Again, same as before. Reliability, Ease of Cleaning, parts availability and Customer Support/ Warranty.

Pick your brand and let me know which model and why.
 
I am on the market for my first 1911 and plan on making a purchase in the next 30 days so I am interested to what people have to say.

There are maybe 3 companies I am trying to choose between, but its too bad that STI did not make the poll since I am looking at both the Spartan and Trojan. Kimber is another company I am looking at since it seems they make some fine 1911s and seem to be good value for the buck.
 
redlite said:
I am on the market for my first 1911 and plan on making a purchase in the next 30 days so I am interested to what people have to say.

There are maybe 3 companies I am trying to choose between, but its too bad that STI did not make the poll since I am looking at both the Spartan and Trojan. Kimber is another company I am looking at since it seems they make some fine 1911s and seem to be good value for the buck.
Click to expand...

Should be interesting to see how it goes.
 
You should add STI to your list.

It seems like the 1911 market is very much a "you get what you pay for" other than for the Colt where the name counts for far too much IMO. So really the best gun for under $1200 would be the one that likely costs $1199. Other than that the sort of outside finish you want is going to count for more than the cost.

Having shot new out of the box STI Trojan in .45 I was very impressed. I'm less than taken with what appears to be a Parkerized finish that seems to wear quickly in use such as with frequent holster use. But there is precious little to fault them on for accuracy or trigger quality.
 
I shoot a Springfield, Smith & Wesson and the Ruger. Smith & Wesson gets my vote for overall value - fantastic gun. My next will be a Sig I think.
 
Colt would be my choice of the options listed:

-Generally good quality small parts
-No problematic proprietary parts (external extractors, grip safety actuated firing pin blocks, slides that don't fit regular holsters). The Series 80 parts work without any problems and can be easily removed if so desired.
-Favourable comments from SMEs such as Hilton Yam and Larry Vickers.
-Traditional-looking slide rollmarks instead of gaudy "billboards" found on some 1911s.

Springfield Armory would be my second choice. The E-Series S&Ws may well be a viable external extractor design, though I wish they would build them with a more conventional appearance.
 
tjhaile said:
The E-Series S&Ws may well be a viable external extractor design, though I wish they would build them with a more conventional appearance.
Click to expand...

I agree on your point about the E-series. My preference is for the non E series 1911 - the external extractor works flawlessly on my gun, the gaudy rollmarks of the early S&W 1911s from 5 years ago are long gone and they don't have the peculiar (as you say, unconventional) fish-scale accents of the E series. The only knock I hear is the FP safety (Schwartz - grip safety actuated), which is not even noticeable on my gun. Also, I think for the price point the S&W 1911 should have a fully checkered front strap (instead of vertically serrated).


My SW1911 (along with the Ruger):

DSC_0012.jpg
 
The Sig I am waiting for is the 'Traditional' model with the conventional 1911 slide profile that will fit my standard 1911 holster. I haven't seen any North of the border yet....

1911-TRAD_RTT-detail_Hero.jpg
 
It was a good day today and I've just made a 1911 purchase and barely stayed within the $1200.oo price guideline.

45ACPKimberSuperMatchII.jpg


:)I lucked into a like new Kimber Super match II, 45ACP with the original plastic case, a zipper case and three extra mags. This is #6 in my 45 cal 'stable' and can't wait to put it through its paces.
 
Never had a "bad" 1911, but had a couple I didn't really care for. What I always seem to gravitate to is Springfield or Colt's. My Springfield Mil Spec gets the most range time.
 
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